Christmas Sunday...

 

CHEESE, is what Mallory is screaming - it's cute the first one thousand times, but when it starts to get in the way of professional photography, it's a little well you know what I mean...

 

Happy day, Christmas is almost here!

Christmas Cookie Time!

 

Mallory wants to help make everything!

 

She doesn't like eating flour though.

 

Our little helper!

 

 

Megan frosted over a dozen cookies.

 

Connor liked eating the dough more than making cookies.

 

Grandparent time! The kids loving hanging out with Papa and Grammy!

Connor and his names for kids...

The topic came up while we were eating at "El Pollo Loco" if Connor wanted to have a brother or a sister (don't worry, we aren't having any more kids... just the topic comes up whenever we reminisce about Jeff and Wayne). So we asked Connor if he had a brother and he could choose the name what would it be. He replies, "I'd probably name him something dumb, like Snarvel".

Jenny and I nearly spit out the food in our mouths laughing.

Later we made a promise that if we ever have triplet boys we would name them Manny, Moe and Jack.

Connor turns 5

So a week before Connor's birthday party he comes to us and tell us how is party was going to go. Apparently he had it all planned out and was just informing us on the particulars...

He says to me, "Dad!?, at my party we are going to have a 'Curious George' bounce house, hundreds of my friends will be there", dramatic pause, which gave me time to think, does this kid know people I'm not aware of?, then he finishes with "Annnndddahhhh (which is and just drawn out loudly) it's going to be a surprise!"

So, now Jenny and I needed to figure out how to make this thing a surprise... Turns out he had that one planed out too. On the day of the said mayhem, I asked him if he wanted to go to the park, he said no, cause he was having a surprise party... We are now just along for the ride... His friends show up, (not by the hundreds, but it seemed like it), and they were all in the bounce house. I called them all to come inside and told Connor it was time to eat Pizza, and he said, "is it time for the surprise?!?" So I finally ask him how this was going to work, and he tells me how it's going to go down... "First you have all of my friends go into the front room, then I come in and everyone yells SURPRISE!"

The part that hurt, was the contempt in his voice, like I had no clue what a surprise party was all about... I wish I was able to catch his face on camera, but to no avail, we missed his huge smile and his little dance he did as everyone screamed SURPRISE!

I guess it went just as he planned it to go.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Malibu loves her boots!

 

I don't know why, but kids love to go to sleep with the funniest things. I know somewhere my mom has a photo of me with boots on and some funky mask on my face.

Osaka Bike Museum - near Shimano Head Quaters in Japan.

I got to visit the Osaka Bike Museum during my last trip to the Shimano Head Quaters. It has a ton of bikes - many not on display, just hanging around in the basement, but the bikes on display are from the dawns of time to new current Dura Ace and XTR bikes. Included is one of my favorites, an original Brezzer (one of the first 10 made!) it has the original Campy parts on it from that era. Surprisingly the other bike component makers are absent from the displays...

There was a Batavus 5 seated tandem from the early 1900's it had one of the largest track gears I've ever seen.

Any who - enjoy the photos - and sorry that some of these are out of focus. Click on the photos for a larger view.